Africa's archaeological treasures

Updated 1019 GMT (1819 HKT) February 1, 2016

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Photos:Africa's archaeological treasures

The recent discovery of Khentkaus III's tomb in Abusair, Egypt, fills in a "black patch" in the history of the Old Kingdom, according to dig leader Professor Miroslav Barta. Located a few 100 feet from the unfinished tomb of her husband, Pharaoh Neferefre (also known as Reneferef), her tomb is one of several significant historical finds in the country in recent months.

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Photos:Africa's archaeological treasures

Egyptologists are optimistic that a second chamber may soon be found behind King Tutankhamun's tomb, based on results of scans from the Valley of the Kings. One archaeologist has speculated that if the second chamber exists, it could be Queen Nefertiti's long-lost burial place.

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Photos:Africa's archaeological treasures

A female mummy discovered in 1898 in tomb KV35 in the Valley of the Kings, and dubbed 'The Younger Lady' has been speculated to be Nefertiti. DNA tests in 2008 showed she was not only King Tutankhamun's mother, but also his aunt (she was sister to his father Akhenaten). Many Egyptologists say this DNA evidence means it's unlikely the remains are those of Nefertiti.

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Photos:Africa's archaeological treasures

The African continent has been home to many historic finds over the years. Last June, archaeologists and divers found the remains of an 18th century Portuguese slave ship off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. The ship is believed to have been on its way from Mozambique to Brazil in 1794. These copper fastenings and copper sheathing were also uncovered.

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Photos:Africa's archaeological treasures

Africa has long been a treasure trove of ancient remains. Last year, the 2,000-year old remains of a sleeping woman, dubbed 'sleeping beauty', were found in Ethiopia in the former biblical kingdom of Aksum.

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Photos:Africa's archaeological treasures

The Pyramid fields from Giza to Dahshur, including the majestic Great Sphinx, were part of the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Considered to be one of the seven wonders of the world in Hellenistic times, there remains the only inscription on the original list still in existence.

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Photos:Africa's archaeological treasures

According to a paper published last May by the science journal Nature, the oldest stone tools made by our human ancestors were discovered in northwestern Kenya and date back 3.3 million years -- about 700,000 years before the oldest tools previously unearthed.

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Photos:Africa's archaeological treasures

Last year, an international diving team explored flooded caves in Madagascar, and uncovered the largest cache of fossils in the country to date, including the remains of gorilla-sized lemurs, pygmy hippopotamuses, horned crocodile and elephant birds.

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A Japanese team from Waseda University stumbled on the tomb of an ancient beer-maker while cleaning the courtyard of another tomb at the Thebes necropolis in the Egyptian city of Luxor.

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Photos:Africa's archaeological treasures

The 15th-century Qaitbay Citadel in the port city of Alexandria occupies that same location where the famous lighthouse once stood -- partially destroyed in the 11th century by an earthquake, and totally decimated by another in the 1300s. Today the citadel functions as a maritime museum.

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Photos:Africa's archaeological treasures

The Temple of Karnak, in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor, can be visited on luxury cruises down the Nile, along which tourists can track 5,000 years of history.